Part One
Yes, I was THERE on June 18, 2009.
Where? Bethpage
State Park
, site of the 2009
U.S. Open. The town of Farmingdale
, New York
, has the ‘Black’ course – one of America
’s
mightiest golf courses. Don’t get excited, my friends. It was a both a dreadful
and poignant time for me – I’m pleased that I was there, yet the experience has
more negative memories for me than positive. Here’s my narrative of THAT day:
Early morning beginning – 6 a.m. drive from Staten
Island
, NY
, to Long Island
,
NY
.
Do I remember the drive from years past?...Let’s see…Verrezano
Bridge
to Brooklyn’s Belt Parkway
to the
LIE, then to Farmingdale
,
NY
.
Crossing the Verrazano, take a peek at my family’s former
quarters at Fort Hamilton, then pay attention to the New York drivers racing up
the Belt to get to other expressways to get to Manhattan or, as they say, New
York City.
It’s raining steadily now, so I know the day will be long
for golf fans (me) walking a very tough course at the Black. (It’s funny how
the word, ‘Black’, has a special meaning in U.S. Open jargon.) Anyway….
Where to park the car, indeed? The U.S. Open just
reorganizes a small community like Farmingdale, or maybe disorganizes it
(Please take note, Chambers Bay & University Place, WA!) I figured the
locals would get involved in the parking and traffic problems. Right I was – a
young high school kid named Sal (a New York name, for sure) had directed his
little brother and sister into a team of car managers – for a small fee they
would preserve my car in a neighbor’s driveway, shuttle me to the Open (10
minutes away), pick me up when I called them and deliver me back to my car.
(Isn’t America
just grand for a kid t make money without government interference? This kid
knows an economic stimulus when he sees one.)
The rain’s intensity is increasing now. The wind has joined
our tournament party as well. It’s about 7:45 a.m. I’m now realizing that I’m
not prepared for a hard rain, nor low temperatures; I sense my lack of
preparation will cost me dearly this day – I’m sensing a weather-worn day,
maybe even danger with my historically troubled hips. (I’ve always planned my
golf playing, but in this tournament, as a spectator, I’m very vulnerable, and,
yes, far from home.) Also, I was aware of the security precautions of the Open,
but they never really registered – no cell phones, no cameras. UGH!
Part Two
Upon entering the Black Course near the clubhouse, I was
struck by the enormous hills, deep sandtraps, very high grasses, gradations of
rough, and varying course elevations. For me, it was not like I remembered the
Black in 1993, 16 years earlier. I made my way to the pavilions – golf
merchandisers galore, really. Impressive products, golf accoutrements, clubs,
balls, attire, trinkets – a golfer’s potpourri, indeed. I decided to check out
what memorabilia I would buy AFTER walking the course – no sense buying a
golfer’s treasure trove haul it around in the growing rain storm that was
steadily brewing.
The first day’s early threesomes were on the front nine of
the course, so I ventured to locate them and ‘walk’ them to the nineth hole,
then split my time on the second nine shopping and touring. Alas! My plans began to unravel as the rain,
wind, and now mud, or better make that, sludge, began to surround me and
eventually overwhelm me. My little umbrella I purchased at the Navy Lodge (Staten Island
) was hardly effective as the rains came
down sideways with increasing intensity. I was trapped! I could barely walk at
a steady pace. I began to lose sight of where I was in relation to the course
and the players.
Finally, I found my way to golfers Mike Wier, Ryan Moore,
Bubba Watson, and Ben Crane…and then, YES! The Tiger, i.e. Eldrick (Tiger)
Woods – playing with Padraig Harrington and Angel Cabrera. Of course, as I
joined the Tiger crowd, it became clear that more fans were following this
group than any other, which meant more mud and sludge to trudge through –
climbing uphill and carefully stepping downhill became my most difficult tasks
– I didn’t want to fall down for fear of that I would not be able to get up –
imagine me lying on the hallowed grounds of the Black course and I can’t get
up! (I never fell. A real wonder.)
Part Three
(Now, to put a closing point on my day at the first day of
the 2009 U.S.
Open at Bethpage
Park
’s Black course. Poor weather had
been predicted all week before the tournament got started. Before leaving my
hotel for the drive to Long Island
, I caught a
local TV interview of Tiger Woods. Reminding Tiger that a lot of water was on
the way to Bethpage Black, the interviewer asked Tiger what did he think about
all that rain. Tiger’s reply was something like, ‘Tigers Swim’, with a sly
smile. And now, back to the course.)
The weather conditions were getting worse (if that was
possible). I had been following the Tiger group of fans for three holes (4th,
5th, 6th) where Tiger made a nice birdie on six, then a
good drive on seven. Upon reaching the green at seven, one could sense
something was about to happen. A siren
(or air horn) sounded. Behind me, a scoring stand posted a ‘Weather Warning’
sign – play was suspended. The players began to mark their balls and leave the
green. As they were not going to proceed to the 8th hole, Tiger and
his mates began to exit the 7th green at its entrance, then walk
directly off the fairway right where I was standing. The course marshals and
security police made a ‘hole’ for Tiger and the entourage of officials and
camera crews right before me. As Tiger approached me, no more than 7 or 8 feet
before passing within a foot of me, I directly said to Tiger, “Tiger, can you
swim?” He smiled and continued walking. I sensed he remembered that morning
interview.
Now, it must be noted that suspended play does not mean you
can all go home. No, its pouring rain, the players are sheltered in designated
areas for a short while, then taken to the clubhouse. For us golf fans, all we
do is wait, wait, wait. For what? The ‘All Clear.’ We’re all standing around waiting for the
weather to improve – it wasn’t improving, it was getting worse. We wanted the
weather to improve. (Some fans, I suspect, prayed that the weather would
improve.) Alas! After about a half hour
or so, we heard a siren blast. To us, that meant the ‘All Clear’. But, it didn’t mean that at all. We waited
another half hour or so. Note, we’re still holding our position at the 7th
hole, too. (Tiger’s group had not finished putting. Remember?) Then, another
siren goes off, then another, each about 15 to 25 minutes apart. The ‘Weather
Warning’ sign is still posted. Finally, one of the locals said that the siren
warnings were merely the fire department warning sirens announcing a
Farmingdale fire unit is responding to a fire! In other words, we were waiting
for play to continue, but it was not to be.
By now I am really suffering – the mud/sludge, hills,
inclines, declines – I’m whipped, for sure. I trudge back towards the clubhouse
area to find a public telephone (remember, no cell phones on the course, no
cameras) to get a ride back to my car in town. I’m starving for something,
anything to eat. The popular drink is beer, naturally. The popular food item is
the hamburger. I notice that the beer can take the rain, but the
hamburger…well, its soggy before you even take a bite. I opt for a bottle of
coke and a banana. I finally reach the front entrance of the golf course – get
into my ‘ride’, ten minutes later I’m headed back to Staten Island, my hotel,
my bed. The drive back is somewhat longer as certain freeways are closed in
approaches to the Black Course and other expressways and underpasses in
Brookly/Queens are experiencing flash floods. My backtracking proved inaccurate
adding about an hour to my return. Cramps are creeping into my legs. One final
thought:
I had completely forgotten about the souvenirs or golf
momentoes.
But, I’m glad I was there. My Best/Worst Day in 50 Years of
Golf.
